Components having such cavities are used, for example, in optical examinations of gases or liquids. Chemical reactions initiated by the action of light, for example a laser beam, can also be carried out in cavities having optically transparent walls. Components having optically transparent channels are also used for optical level checking.
To fabricate components which have cavities and, in particular, channels having optically transparent walls, it is standard practice to bond one or more glass wafers to the substrate of the component. On the whole, this method is very costly. If the component is intended to be used in optical investigations of liquids or gases, glass fibers are often integrated in the component to enable light to be coupled into the cavity. In this case, it turns out to be even more costly and complex to fabricate the component using the method known from standard practice.